Blacus (Tarpheion) sculptilis, Lu & Chai & Achterberg & Tang & Chen, 2024

Lu, Qian-Yu, Chai, Hong-Fei, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Tang, Pu & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2024, Review of the subgenus Tarpheion of the genus Blacus Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Brachistinae) from China, with description of nine new species and eight new records, Zootaxa 5406 (2), pp. 297-335 : 326-328

Blacus (Tarpheion) sculptilis sp. nov.

( Figs. 27–28 )

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, China, Sichuan, Wanglang, Baixionggou , 25.VIII.2016, Tian Hongwei, No. 201600893 ( ZJUH).

Description. Female. Length of body 2.5 mm, length of fore wing 2.6 mm.

Head. Antennomeres 20; length of first flagellomere 1.6 × length of second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomere 7.2, 4.4 and 2.6 × their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 1.3 × height of head; occipital carina completely absent ( Fig. 28A ); frontal suture distinctly present; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 17:7:8; length of eye in dorsal view 1.6 × length of temple; face smooth, densely setose; malar suture present, length of malar space 1.0 × basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.6 × its height; side of pronotum smooth dorsally, remainder with transverse striae ( Fig. 28G ); carinae of middle lobe of mesoscutum absent; precoxal sulcus complete, rugose-reticulate ( Fig. 28G ); notauli complete, finely crenulate, narrow and deep ( Fig. 28D ); mesoscutal middle lobe truncate anteriorly; scutellum smooth, its lateral carina complete, not protruding apically; surface of propodeum with some cell, smooth between carinae, its medial area widened dorsally.

Wings. Fore wing: first discal cell widely truncate anteriorly; vein r vertical ( Fig. 28F ), length of vein r 1.1 × width of pterostigma; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 1:10.

Legs. Hind coxa smooth dorsally, with some oblique carinae; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 7.3, 11.7 and 7.7 × their width, respectively; fore claws with some bristles ( Fig. 28I ), middle claws with one bristle, hind claws simple.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 2.95 × its apical width, parallel-sided, superficially rugose basally, with transversal carinae medially and longitudinally rugose posteriorly ( Fig. 28E ); base of second tergite with weak longitudinal striae and remainder smooth ( Fig. 28E ); length of ovipositor sheath 0.20 × length of fore wing.

Colour. Brown; 4 basal antennomeres, palpi, clypeus, mandible and all legs yellow; tegulae, first metasomal tergite posteriorly, second and third metasomal tergite, apically half of hind tibia and hind tarsus yellowish-brown; metasomal sternum anteriorly white; bristles of fore claws blackish, one bristle of middle claws yellow; wing membrane slightly infuscate.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Sichuan).

Etymology. The specific name sculptilis refers to the extensively sculptured precoxal area; “ sculptilis ” is Latin for carved.

Notes. The new species is similar to B. (T.) incarinaticeps van Achterberg, 1988 because occipital carina is completely absent, lamelliform carinae of middle lobe of mesoscutum absent, first discal cell of fore wing truncate anteriorly, length of eye in dorsal view 1.3 × length of temple, length of ovipositor sheath approx. 0.20 × length of fore wing, length of first tergite approx. 2.8 × its apical width, first metasomal tergite almost parallel-sided, and similar length of fore wing, but differs by having complete precoxal sulcus complete and rugose-reticulate (only present in middle of mesopleuron and shallowly crenulate in B. incarinaticeps ), first metasomal tergite superficially rugose basally, with transverse carinae medially and longitudinally rugose posteriorly (smooth), notauli crenulate-rugose (largely smooth), second tergite with weak longitudinal striae (smooth), length of body 2.5 mm (2.0 mm), vein r of fore wing vertical (oblique), third and fourth antennomeres yellow (brownish), and hypopygium brown (rather light brownish).

The new species is also similar to B. (T.) javensis van Achterberg, 1976 because of vein r of fore wing about as long as maximum width of pterostigma, entire occipital carina absent, and first metasomal tergite sculptured. The new species differs by vein r of fore wing vertical (oblique in B. (T.) javensis ), antenna with 20 antennomeres (19), posterior half of notauli narrow and finely crenulate (wide and coarsely crenulate), and precoxal area extensively sculptured (largely smooth).

Figures

FIGURE 27. Tarpheion sculptilis sp. nov. (body, lateral aspect).

FIGURE 28. Tarpheion sculptilis sp. nov. A. head, dorsal aspect; B. head, anterior aspect; C. antenna; D. mesosoma, dorsal aspect; E. propodeum and metasoma, dorsal aspect; F. wings; G. mesosoma, lateral aspect; H. hind leg; I. fore claw; J. ovipositor and ovipositor sheath